Ironing-press burnguard



March 1 1927. I 1,618,985

J. c. LEDBETTER IRONING PRESS BURNGUARD Filed May 2, 1925 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 I C O I 31? a! 20 2/ I o l O- O 1 as I, L g Q o 2 35 lg 22 23 32 W 25 17 I l L INVENTOR James [z'zmrac/ Leahffer BY W ATTORNIEYS March '1 1927.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2. 1925 J C LEDBETTER IRONING PRESS BURNGUARD -iul r 5 R M H ma NP W J N 8 1 .l 1%

e m J Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,618,986 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES CAMROID LEDIBETTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE PROSPERITY COMPANY, INC., OF SYRACUSE, NEW Y ORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TRONING-PRESS BURNGUARD.

Application filed May 2,

This invention relates to ironing presses and more particularly to improvements in burnguard protectors to cover the exposed ironing surface of a high lifting head or press j aw to protect the operator from the heat thereof when the press opens.

An object of the invention is to produce improvements in ironing presses, the burnguards of which are automatically operated by a combination gravity and power member thereby rendering it unnecessary to open and close the curtain by connecting the mechanism thereof to the press closing and opening means. In other words, it is an object to automatically operate this protective cuI-' tain by .gravity.

An outstanding feature and object of the present invention is to produce a combination press and burnguard structure wherein the curtain itself is a pleated and folded curtain and is mounted on the rear edge of the jaw in order that little or'no obstruction be placed to the front of the press which would interfere with the free movements of the operator or be in his way.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, and certain changes in structure and mode of operation may be made without departing from the principle of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a side view of the press in closed position with the burnguard protective curtain withdrawn from between the press jaws'in order that the hot metallic face of the ironing head may directly engage the work supported on the buck.

Figure 2 illustrates a side View of the press with the machine in open position and with the protective curtain moved outwardly in outstretched position thereby covering the hot exposed jaw ironing surface.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary plan view of the press head in closed position with the burnguard curtain withdrawn to the rear edge of the pressing head.

Figure 4 shows a sectional view developed along the line 4-4 to show a power rotated drum which acts to automatically overcome a gravity actuated weight and thus draw back and remove the curtain from the ironing head as the press closes.

Figure v5 shows a fragmentary sectional view of the burnguard protector, strung as by rings upon a guide rod or other suitable member as the buck 12.

1925. Serial No. 27,412].

means to enable the curtain to fold up in pleated condition and stretch out in taut condition.

Referring now more particularly to the drawlngs for a more detailed description of the invention, there is shown a press frame 10 with cooperatingpress jaws or head and buck 11 and 12. It is the custom to mount one jaw as 12, in a stationary manner on the frame 10 while theother jaw, as forexample the'head 11, may be carried on the front end of a press lever 13 which is pivoted at 14 on the frame 10.

The pressing jaws are ordinarily heated by steam or any other appropriate means and in ironlng presses a press cloth or pad 17 covers the working face of the pressing The head 11 is left with an exposed metallic ironing face 18 which is polished and specially prepared to impart a high gloss domestic finish to the work, and it is this hot ironing face 18 which radiates considerable heat and sometimes infiicts painful burns on the operator in case his hands come in contact therewith. The present invention is designed to automatically cover up the exposed ironing face 18 as the head 11 lifts and automatically uncovers it as the head moves downwardly towards the work, and my improvements for accomplishing this function rests in the use of a folded and pleated curtain rather than a roller curtain, and rest in placing the curtain, any type of curtain, on the rear edge of the press and automatically operating it without resorting to a connection with the press closing mechanism.

Parallel track or guide members are installed on the movable head 11 and one guide is designed to carry the improved pleated and folded protective curtain while the other guide supports the gravity operated member. To this end any suitable means as for ex ample a bracket 20 is fixed to each end of the press head jaw 11 and supports an upper track piece 21 and a lower track or guide piece 22. The two track rails or guides 21 and 22 are mounted in spaced relation and a pleated burnguard curtain 23 is folded in pleats to the rear of the pressing jaws and is strung on the lower rail 22 by rings 24. The rings 24 are suitably attached to the edge of the pleated curtain 23.

A tubularguide 26 may be used if desired and is slidably confined upon each curtain rail 22 and a rod 27 connects each slide tube 26, there being a duplicate set of parts at each end of the The front edge of the curtain 23 is attached to the movable rod 27 and the rear edge of the curtain is attached to a stationary rod 28 which extends from one bracket 20 to the other. In this way all four edges f the curtain are attached to a supporting means which is to say that the front and back edges are sewed to or attached on the rods 28 and 27 as by an ordinary hem with the rods passed through the heins and the slide edges of the curtain are attached to the rings 24 as hereinbefore explained. It follows that the curtain gathers or pleats up into a compact space as the guide tubes 26 move rearwardly on the track rails 22. In a similar manner the said pleated curtain stretches out in taut and smooth condition to cover the ironing face 18 as the head lifts, all of which will be hereinafter described.

A weight car 30 equipped with rollers or wheels 31 is confined on each upper rail 21 and adapted to roll back and forth thereon. This weight car 30 quickly runs under the force of gravity from the front of the press to the rear thereof as the head lifts, and suitable power means hereinafter explained hauls the weight car forwardly as the track swings down to horizontal position when the head closes. A cable 32 has one end tnereof attached to the weight car 30 and is carried around guide rollers, one or more, as 33 and 34, so as to again direct the cable rearwardly where it is wound upon a power-rotated drum '35 and the end of the cable 32 is permanently anchored to the drum as indicated by the numeral 36 in Figure 4. Two power operated drums 35 are preferably used, one being located on the rear end of each bracket 20 in order that one drum 35 pull each weight car 30 back to the front of the press when the head descends. The function of the drum 35 is to pay out cable 32 as the head lifts and draw in the cable 32 as the head closes.

Describing further the power operated drum, reference is now made to Figure 4 where it is observed how this drum is rotatably carried on a journal 38 which is anchored to the bracket 20. A power spring is employed to rotate the drum in one direction and to this end a spiral spring 39 has its inner end anchored as at 40 to the stationary journal, while the outer end of the spring is anchored to the drum 35 as at 41 so that one end of the spring is attached to the drum while theother end thereof is attached to the fixed shaft 38. It follows that, when the weight car 30 runs down hill on the track 21, the cable 32 necessarily is paid out or unwound from the drum which winds up the spring 39 thereby storing up tension in the spring and this tension is sufiicient to haul or draw back the weight car 30 to its original position at the front edge of the press jaw when the track rail 21 levels out to a horizontal position. It is to be noted that the cable 32 is attached at 43 to the slide 26. In this way, the cable 32 is connected with the front edge of the curtain so as to draw it forwardly as the weight car runs rearwardly.

in working the machine the operator spreads a garment upon the buck 12 and draws the head 11 down in contact therewith. As the track 21 levels out, it follows that the power of the drum spring 39'1'0- tates the drum 35 thereby pulling the weight car 30 forwardly and drawing in the curtain 23 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 1 thereby permitting the ironing face 18 to be directly exposed to the work and to impart a domesticfinish thereto. The ironing operation having been completed the press is caused to open to high lifted position shown in Figure 2 which angularly tilts the rails 21 cansthe weight car 30 torun rearwardly under action of gravity which quickly unfolds and stretches the curtain 23 forwardly across the ironing surface 18 of the press head thereby'protecting the operator from the heat as long as the head is open.

hat I claim is:

1. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws adapted to open wide to expose the work and close thereupon, one of the ironing jaws being provided with an exposed ironing surface, a pleated burnguard curtain carried on one of the press jaws, means to fold and pleat the curtain into a small compact space as the press closes to uncover the ironing sur face, and means for unfolding and unpleating the curtain and stretching it across the ironing surface as the press opens.

2. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws adapted to open wide and close upon the work, one of the said ironing jaws being provided with an exposed ironing surface to directly engage the work, a burnguard curtain mounted on the rear edge of the ironing jaw having the aforesaid ironing surface, means for stretching the curtain across the ironing surface as the ironing press opens, means for pulling the curtain back to expose the ironing surface as the press closes, and means for effecting a pleating and folding of the curtain to bring it into a small compact space as the press closes. j

3. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws one of which is provided with an ironing surface and said jaws adapted to open wide to pro: vide extended visibility of the work and adapted to close directly thereupon, a pleated and folded burnguard curtain mounted adjacent the ironing jaws, means supporting one edge of the curtain in movable relation to cause the curtain to pleat and fold itself up and to permit the curtain to be stretched out, means holding one edge of the curtain in stationary position, means attached to the other edge of the pleated curtain adapted to move and stretch it out across the ironing surface and move it back away therefrom, a gravity operated device connected to the last named means for stretching the curtain out, and power operated means for drawing the curtain in away from the ironing press and returning the gravity operated device to normal position.

a. An ironing press comprising in combination,'cooperating ironing jaws one of which is provided with an exposed ironing surface, a curtain burnguard carried 011 the rear edge of the ironing surface jaw, guide rollers attached to the front edge of the ironing jaw, a gravity operated member carried on the jaw, a cable connected with the gravity member and running over the guide rollers and attached to the curtain to pull the curtain in one direction, and means to pull the curtain in the other direction.

5. An ironing press comprising. in com bination, cooperating ironing jawsprovided with an ironing surface, a protective curtain mounted on the rear edge of one of the jaws, means carrying the curtain in a small compact space, a weight actuated member connected with the curtain to draw it forwardly across the ironing surface as the press opens, and power means adapted to draw in the curtain rearwardly and return the weight member as the press closes.

6. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws provided wit-h an ironing surface, a protective curtain mounted on the rear edge of one of the jaws,

means carrying the curtain in a small compact space, means causing the curtain to foldv itself up in pleats on the carrying means, a weight actuated member connected with the curtain to draw it across the ironing surface as the press opens, and power means adapted to draw in the curtain and return the weightmember as the press closes.

nection established between the weight car and curtain to move the curtain in one direction, a spring driven drum, and a cable wound thereon and connected with the ourtain to move it in the other direction.

9. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws, parallel track rails mounted thereon, a burnguard curtain carried in pleated and folded condition on one of the track rails, a weight car carried on the other track rail, a cable connected to the weight car and curtain for stretching the curtain across one of the ironing jaws, means connected with the cable for withdrawing the curtain from the ironing jaw and returning it to folded and pleated condition, a rod holding one edge of the curtain stationary, and another rod attached to the movable edge of the curtain by which the movement of the curtain is evenly and uniformly carried out.

10. An ironing press comprising in combination, cooperating ironing jaws one of which has an exposed ironing surface and which is adapted to open from and close on the other, a burnguard curtain mounted on the rear edge of the ironing surface jaw, means supporting this curtain in a folded and pleated condition on the rear edge of the jaw, a weight carried on the movable jaw adapted to automatically move through a predetermined distance as the jaw opens and closes, and a connection established between the weight and the curtain.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES CAMROD LEDBETTER. 

